


Trial

by Kalira



Category: Naruto
Genre: Chuunin Exams, Crushes, KakaGai Week 2019, M/M, Sparring, oh no he's cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:55:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21994090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalira/pseuds/Kalira
Summary: Kakashi has been enlisted to help in this round of the chuunin exams; he didn't expect to come face to face with an old childhood . . . nuisance? He certainly didn't expect how much that once-annoyance hasgrown. . .
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Maito Gai | Might Guy
Comments: 6
Kudos: 122
Collections: KakaGai Week 2019 entries, Kalira's KakaGai Week Stories (2019)





	Trial

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [KakaGai Week](https://kkgweek.tumblr.com/post/185755931741), Day 6: Chuunin & Jounin
> 
> Thanks to MythPoet for suggesting this theme for this prompt!

“All right, Hatake, you’re up again.”

Kakashi sighed, putting away his book and rolling to his feet. “What am I doing this time? Setting more traps? Pulling yet more unprepared genin out of disasters they should have seen coming before they die?” he asked dryly.

“No. You’re sparring in the arena.”

“. . .what?” Kakashi’s eyes narrowed. “You remember _I_ have already finished with this nonsense, right?” He’d been a jounin for over a year, his own chuunin exam was long behind him.

“Exactly. Go, be a challenge.”

Kakashi groaned internally but did as he was ordered without further protest, making his way down to the arena and wondering what hapless genin he was going to be ‘up against’.

“My Eternal Rival! We meet again!”

Kakashi froze for a breath, eyes wide.

“Did I not tell you that you were my Man of Destiny?” Gai cried, gesturing broadly, and Kakashi glanced sideways at the door he had just entered through. _Gai._ Why- He sighed.

“We’re not exactly rivals.” Kakashi said, but before he could continue with the obvious reasons, the proctor’s voice echoed out over them, drowning them both out.

Kakashi fell into his stance easily and waited, eyes skimming Gai’s body as he did the same. He’d changed . . . quite a bit, since he had last been chasing after Kakashi and begging him for ‘challenges’.

It had been years, Kakashi reminded himself, and then had to drop any such contemplations as he narrowly dodged a punch to the face. Gai had changed and he’d gotten _faster_ , by an incredible margin.

Kakashi circled him with quick, light steps, dodging several more lashing blows and flipping over Gai’s head when he lunged bodily. He rolled to hit the ground as soon as he touched down again, and twisted as Gai chased him, knocking him off his feet and bounding upwards, turning to settle into a striking form.

Gai blocked his kick rather than dodge, with a bone-shaking impact, and then knocked Kakashi’s arm aside to punch him in the chest. Kakashi tumbled off his feet, skidding across the rock, breathless and a little shocked.

He didn’t let it slow his reactions, bouncing back up and flowing into a return strike that drew a low cry from Gai when it connected. Kakashi followed it up with several more, uncertain if he should use ninjutsu or not and thus keeping to taijutsu, ducking aside as Gai returned his strikes.

Though he didn’t channel it further to shape any jutsu, Kakashi let his chakra rise up in a sparking rush, adding a bit of a sting to every blow he landed. Gai flinched at the first contact, but held up under the added pressure, battering right back at Kakashi enough to keep him on his toes, moving fast.

He didn’t _win_ their match, but Kakashi was out of breath and bruised by the time he bested Gai - and he wasn’t surprised, later, when it was announced that Gai was among those who would be promoted to chuunin. He had fought well, and he had grown incredibly from the determined, weedy little boy Kakashi remembered endlessly chasing after him. He was . . . impressively strong, now, not only incredibly dedicated.

Kakashi washed the grit out of the scrapes on his hands and one cheek, just above his mask, and didn’t twitch when Gai spoke behind him. He turned slowly, raising his eyebrows.

“I told you I would catch up to you; Challenge you!” Gai said, grinning. “I swore it, and here I am!”

“You haven’t bested me yet.” Kakashi said, but found his tone wasn’t quite as derisive as it once would have been. He hesitated. “You fought well today.”

Gai’s grin grew even bigger, if that was possible, and Kakashi leaned back, a little alarmed. “I haven’t reached you yet, Eternal Rival, but I _will_!” he swore impassionedly, and. . .

Well, Kakashi couldn’t help but believe him, by now. “Congratulations on your promotion to chuunin, Gai.” he offered, tucking his hands into his pockets.

“Thank you, Rival!” Gai cheered, putting one thumb up at arm’s length. “I. . . May I ask you for something?”

“As a congratulations gift?” Kakashi asked, surprised.

“If you care to call it that, I suppose.” Gai said, looking uncertain for the first time.

Kakashi shrugged. “What do you want?”

“Spar with me!”

“. . .what?” Kakashi said blankly. He had just- Well, Gai had proven to be much stronger than he would have guessed, and he couldn’t quite put that out of his mind, but Kakashi had just _beaten_ him handily, and he was still a new chuunin to Kakashi’s-

“Please! When you have time, for training! Spar with me?” Gai asked again, seizing one of Kakashi’s hands, and before he knew it he had agreed to do so and they had made arrangements to meet in three days time.

Gai thanked him, beaming, and then ran off.

Kakashi’s hand was warm from being held in Gai’s own, and his bruised face throbbed with warmth from one of Gai’s remarkably hard punches as well. He shook his head, trying to put Gai out of his mind, but he wouldn’t quite go - stubborn in this as in everything, Kakashi thought wryly.

Just as he must have been stubborn, and so determined, to have grown so _strong_ while Kakashi wasn’t watching. . .

Kakashi rubbed at his suddenly-warmer face, then winced as he dragged his scraped-up palm right across his scraped-up cheekbone. But at least the sting was a little distracting.

For now. He had a spar with Gai in three days.

Kakashi shook his head hard and gathered his gear before jumping out the window. The chuunin exams were over and he was free to go, so he did just that, racing across the rooftops and trying to clear his mind as he headed towards home.


End file.
